The map above is of Canada in 1867 at the time of Confederation. After Confederation the United Province of Canada, Canada West became the province of Ontario and Canada East became the province of Quebec.Source

Colony of the United Province of Canada

The Colony of the United Province of Canada was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. It was formed due to recommendations by John Lambton, the first Earl of Durham, in the report on affairs of British North America after the rebellions in 1837. Canadian Confederation happened on July 1st, 1867. The United Province of Canada was divided into the two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec. The location of the capital in the United Province of Canada changed 6 times during its 26 year history.

In June 0f 1864 some politicians in the United Province of Canada joined together to form the Great Coalition. The politicians in the Great Coalition wanted to form a federal union in the United Province of Canada. They wanted a larger union and to join with the Eastern British North American colonies including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. They also wanted the colonies of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the North-West territories and the Red River Settlement to become part of the union. Many people wanted the government of the United Province of Canada to buy Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company.

The main political leaders in Canada West were John A. Macdonald, the leader of the Liberal Conservative (Tory) Party, who was in favour of Confederation, and George Brown who was the leader of the Reform (Clear Grit) Party and was also in favour of Confederation. The main political leaders in Canada East were George-Étienne Cartier, the leader of le Parti bleu (Conservatives) who was in favour of Confederation, Antoine-Aimé Dorion, the leader of le Parti Rouge (Reformers) and was opposed to Confederation, and Thomas D’arcy McGee who was the Irish Catholic Conservative Cabinet member and was also in favour of Confederation.

The main political leaders in Canada East were George-Étienne Cartier, the leader of le Parti bleu (Conservatives) who was in favour of Confederation, Antoine-Aimé Dorion, the leader of le Parti Rouge (Reformers) and was opposed to Confederation, and Thomas D’arcy McGee who was the Irish Catholic Conservative Cabinet member and was also in favour of Confederation.

The Colony of Nova Scotia

Every winter the mountains in Gaspé and Northern Maine, and the ice on the Saint Lawrence River, separated the colony of Nova Scotia from the United Province of Canada. In the summer they could move the goods traveling by water but in the winter it was nearly impossible. Since the railways within the colony improved transportation so much they wanted to build a railway to link the colony of Nova Scotia to the United Province of Canada. The railway would help the industrial development in Nova Scotia because the goods produced there could be sold in the other colonies. Parts of the colony were having problems because the industrial development was slowing. Fewer emigrants came to Nova Scotia and everyone wanted to work somewhere else. This was all because of the United States ending the Reciprocity treaty. Nova Scotia’s economy was based on traditional industries like fishing, shipping, ship building, agriculture, and natural resources including timber and many more. Newer industries of manufacturing and the railways were beginning to make an appearance in Nova Scotia. The colony of Nova Scotia was sea based and was separated from most of the other colonies. If the colony of Nova Scotia joined the other colonies they could trade with the other British North American colonies with no tariffs and share the cost of a railway. Nova Scotia was one of the first colonies given a responsible government in 1848. Men could vote but women still couldn’t. The main Political leaders in the colony of Nova Scotia were Joseph Howe, he was Liberal and opposed to Confederation, and Charles Tupper who was Conservative and in Favour of Confederation

Flag of Nova Scotia

Colony of New Brunswick

The British Governor in New Brunswick told the people of the colony of New Brunswick that they should unite with the other colonies in British North America and create a federal union. New Brunswick wasn’t very into the idea because there economy in New Brunswick was already doing well and most people didn’t think that joining in Confederation would help their economy in any way. The people in the colony of Nova Scotia had no desire to expand their territory westward and because of their small population they did not want to be represented by “rep. by pop.”, or representation by population. In the 1860's the population of New Brunswick was approximately 270 000. Because of their small population they would have very little say in a federal union. Many of the people in New Brunswick had very little support for Confederation. Most of the population in New Brunswick was made up of English speaking people but there were also a lot of Acadians, Irish, and Scots. Saint John was the largest city in the Maritimes with a population of around 42 000 people. Fredericton was New Brunswick’s capital but was much smaller and farther inland with a population of around 6200 people. The colony of New Brunswick did a lot of trade with the United States and benefited from the Reciprocity treaty and were not at all happy when the United States ended it. The main political leaders in New Brunswick were Samuel Tilley and A.J. Smith. Samuel Tilley was Liberal and was in favour of Confederation, while A.J. Smith was also Liberal but was opposed to Confederation.

Confederation medal, 1867

The Colony of Prince Edward Island

Before Confederation the colony of Prince Edward Island had a population of approximately 87 000 people. Most of the population in Price Edward Island was made up of people from Irish, Scottish, English and Acadian decent. The colonies' economy was mainly based on farming, timber and shipbuilding industries. It was a strong economy. The colony of Prince Edward Island was very dependent on the Reciprocity Treaty. Prince Edward Island was given a responsible government in 1851. Most men could vote but still, no women were allowed to. In the early 1860's, the people of Prince Edward Island were concerned about their colonies landholding system. Some hoped that money would be provided through the union to buy out the Absentee landlords. The Absentee landlords owned most of the land, they took money from their tenants but didn’t do anything to improve the land, or to improve anything at all. If the politicians from other Islands were to help the farmers buy out the Absentee landlords, the support from farmers for Confederation would be very strong. Prince Edward Island had no interest in building a railway. It wouldn’t go through Prince Edward Island and therefore they had no use for it. Because Prince Edward Island does not share a border with the United States they did not think of the Americans as a threat. The people of Prince Edward Island thought that they would have very little say in a federal union. They took pride in being part of a British Empire and some of them saw no reason to join with the other colonies. The main political leader in Prince Edward Island was John Hamilton Gray. John Hamilton Gray was Conservative and completely in favour of Confederation.

The image above is of Prince Edward Island’s Confederation Trail which was developed on abandoned railway lines. You can see all of Prince Edward Island and how the railways used to go from one tip of the island to another. It shows why Prince Edward Island did not necessarily want a railway linking the colonies because it would not concern them.Source